University of California-Berkeley baseball coach Dave Esquer days after the school announced it would cut the program said that the decision was "final and that athletic director Sandy Barbour made it clear the sport couldn't be saved by raising money," but Barbour's "tone has since changed," according to Kendall Rogers of Yahoo Sports. The Thursday issue of SportsBusiness Daily linked to the story.

Esquer: "We had some donors and other people meet with her and we got positive feedback about the program and what could be done to keep it. There's no 100 percent clear direction of what it will take, but it will come down to money. It's a money issue." Esquer estimated that it "takes between $900,000 and $1.2 million annually to run the baseball program, and that a long-term financial commitment likely must be made to keep the program in tact."

Esquer: "I think the main goal is to endow the program. We've come to the realization that we need to raise enough money to make sure this never becomes an option again."

Rogers noted the program "has had some major donors come forward offering financial assistance and the Bears soon will host their annual golf tournament to raise money."

Esquer: "I know there has been a loud response to baseball getting cut, so I can only believe that has helped our cause with the administration. Without that, I'm not sure we would be revisiting this topic."

However, there would be "plenty of challenges to overcome ... if keeping baseball becomes a reality." The team was "forced to release all of their commitments for the 2012 recruiting class and have been unable to get back on the recruiting trail"

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